You probably never have heard of this one, so let us have a little look into how this came about. Reminiscing the concept of Monsters of Rock, the organisers brought in Stonedeaf Festival. For just one day, onlookers get to see surrounded in Newark Showground with nine bands and all walks of life having one thing in common – heavy metal. Of course, being brand new to the UK music festival scene, onlookers were not only excited, but curious of how it would turn out.
UK Newcomers Fallen Mafia began the proceeds to Stonedeaf Festival, bringing in a taster of what’s to come for the hours ahead. Taking a couple of moments for the collective energy to pick up, the rock comrades brought forth a good round of blazing hard rock, notably with Hannah Neil’s grit with her shrieks and overall group energy.
With echoes of cheers cracking the British skies, Chrome Molly belted out classics such as CMA, the energetic “Take It or Leave It” and highlight songs such as “Thanks for The Angst” and enjoyable closer “Corporation Fear”, showing all that age is definitely a number, making a few slightly jealous.
Showing a pleasant surprise from the collective response from their captivators, Neville MacDonald and his comrades, Hand of Dimes put on display a great rock and roll vibe. With help with the recognisable guitarist Bruce Dickinson, their smooth melodies from “Guilty” and professional presence with their song catalogue such as “Moonlight Mile’, “Jacob’s Ladder” and a recognisable Skin cover “House of Love”.
It was hard to disguise that Massive Wagons was one band to catch a glimpse of. One does beg the question – were they on copious amounts of coffee? Not even making their first step, the field exploded from onlookers. Whether if it was “Billy Balloon Head”, “Nails”, or the cheeky close “Fee Fi Fo Fum”, each song from their set was a hit, spreading a collective infection of joy, smiles and energy from all who witnessed the Lancaster lads.
Taking a trip down memory lane was the aim of the game for the Graham Bonnet Band. Presenting recognisable classics such as “All Night Long”, “Rock You to The Ground” and “Since You’ve Been Gone”, along with unfamiliar songs “Into the Night” and “Long Island Tea”, giving a nice blend of the old and new for the audience.
Although a late start for Anvil, that never phased the awaiting fans to taste what was about to pour out from the Canadian trio. Mighty roars when songs “666”, “Badass Rock N Roll” and closer “Metal on Metal” unleashed their metal power from the heavy metal powerhouse.
“You are beautiful, you are sexy, you are attractive!” exclaims Blaze Bailey, prowling with Wolfsbane to opener “Steel” showing their claws has sunk in the punters. Bringing songs “Loco”, “Money to Burn” and “Temple of Rock”, the adoration couldn’t be hidden. Crowd pleaser “Manhunt” brought all voices in unison before closing off with another crowd delight “Paint the Town Red”.
With such high intensity, UK’s The Quireboys chilled the minds of spectators before the closing ceremony. It didn’t stop all harmonizing songs such as “Hey You”, “Mona Lisa Smiled” and “This Is Rock and Roll”, bringing further abundance to their performance. “7 O’clock” with Blaze Bailey provided a nice touch marking a great performance from the sextet.
“Don’t be quiet, that’s very disrespectful” bellows ZP Theart with opens arms, leading the chaos with Skid Row knowing it’ll be a challenge to convince all at Stonedeaf of his position as frontman. Bringing their audio history, it didn’t take too long for all to join in roaring many memorable tracks like “Slave to The Grind”, “Sweet Little Sister”, “18 And Life”, “Quicksand Jesus” and classic The Ramones cover “Psycho Therapy”. Providing palpable thrills with the closer “Youth Gone Wild”, it brought the night to an electrifying close and exhibiting Skid Row are back with renewed invigoration.
The warm night ended on a high for a new and upcoming festival, taking the steps into steady progression and earning their stripes. With tickets already selling quickly for their second edition, it is no wonder that the first Stonedeaf Festival was a near sold-out day. The overall vibe covering all aspect for one day was a pleasure to recognise and may it long continue. Same time again next year?